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Setting up a website is never as simple (or as quick) as we originally think. If you need my help designing your website, I’ve outlined three steps to make it a bit easier!

Step 1: Let’s chat.

I like to talk with clients to learn more about their needs, and it’s no different with setting up websites. A few questions for you:

What is the purpose of your website? Are you selling products? Are you selling services? Do you want people to make appointments?

What kind of content will you put on your website? Do you want to have a blog? Do you have photos or videos to share? Is there something for people to download?

What do you want your website to look like? Are there other websites that inspire you? Do you have examples you can share?

What would you consider a successful user experience (i.e. a conversion)? Do you want people to sign up for a newsletter? Do you want people to contact you? Do you want to make a sale?

How often will it need to be updated? Will you rotate products or have sales? When will you update or change the content? Or will the information generally stay the same?

A website’s design is more than just the content. We need to consider what you want the visitor to see first, how they navigate the website, and where the most important information is located…just to name a few attributes.

Step 2: Let’s walk through what you currently have.

If you’re starting from scratch, there’s a chance you already purchased both your domain and hosting options.

What’s probably happened, however, is that you’ve purchased your domain to make sure no one else could have it (greed is good, after all), but you haven’t purchased hosting.

What’s the difference?

The domain is simply the information in the address bar. You’ve heard about the mishaps of whitehouse.com or the various campaign blunders with website domains. This is why buying your domain is important, even if you aren’t using it.

Your hosting plan is how we put things on your website. Hosting includes things like storage space, email options, and website builders. Once you purchase a hosting plan, we can start putting content on your website. (Well…almost.)

For example, I own the following domains:

sterlingschuyler.com | theasiancraving.com | marrowsucker.com

Here, you can see my personal website, and if you visit The Asian Craving, you’ll find my food blog. But if you visit Marrow Sucker, you won’t see any content because I haven’t paid for hosting. I bought the domain years ago with the intent to create a line of custom broths and bouillons, and I didn’t want anyone building a website under that name.

During our chat, I recommend that we log into your account together, either in person or via screen sharing. This way I can clarify what you want and determine what I need to start building your website as soon as possible.

Step 3: Let’s install the right website builder.

If you purchased your domain and hosting through WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, Weebly, or any other website builder, then you’re golden and we can start building right now!

If you purchased your domain (and possibly hosting) through a registrar like GoDaddy or DreamHost, it may take a few extra steps before we can start putting content on your website.

When we chat, we will talk about what type of web builder will be best for you. For example, Shopify isn’t a good choice if you’re creating a website about your legal or marketing services. If you want more control over your design, Wix or Weebly may be the best fit.

Let’s Work Together

A website is important for building trust in your brand, but you don’t have the time to make it happen. Whether you’ve already installed themes or if you haven’t thought of a website name yet, I’m ready to work with you.

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Author:
Sterling Schuyler

Sterling writes to put broad statements into real context. She enjoys conducting in-depth research in order to bring factual integrity to any topic, especially anything about food. Whether it's the ethics of food science or the tale of a family-owned business, Sterling loves to breathe life and substance into these stories. In her downtime, she enjoys gardening, playing board games and video games, and writing for her personal blog The Asian Craving.
View all posts by Sterling Schuyler